1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital cash safe for storing digital cash data serving as the currency and for inputting and outputting the digital cash data in accordance with a request for inputting and outputting the digital cash data from the exterior.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The above-mentioned digital cash data is electric data, and is more convenient than paper money and coin in the points that the digital cash data may be transferred via a communication network and may be stored in a small IC card. For this reason, recently, there have been proposed various technologies and various types of apparatus for utilizing the above-mentioned digital cash data as the currency indeed.
On the other hand, the digital cash data has a value as the currency in a similar fashion to that of paper money and coin. Accordingly, generation or production of the digital cash data is strictly restricted. For this reason, there is a need for banks and the like to save the digital cash data as well as paper money and coin. Thus, as an apparatus for saving the digital cash data, there has been proposed the digital cash safe as mentioned above.
Further, as mentioned above, the digital cash data can be transferred via a communication network. Consequently, as a utilizing form of the digital cash safe, there is considered such a utilizing form that a digital cash safe is set up at the bank center and the like so that digital cash data is sent from the digital cash safe via the communication network to terminals set up at the branches throughout the country and is transferred from the terminals to IC cards of the individuals.
However, as mentioned above, since the digital cash data is the electric data, there is a possibility that the digital cash data is lost owing to the life and the accident or the like of a storage medium for storing the digital cash data. Particularly, according to the digital cash safe which is utilized in the utilizing form as mentioned above, a great deal of digital cash is stored in the digital cash safe. Therefore, it is a serious loss that the digital cash data is lost by the accident and the like. On the other hand, it is not allowed that the backup of the digital cash data is prepared, because preparing the backup of the digital cash data corresponds to the counterfeiting of the currency.
In view of the foregoing, it is considered that the digital cash data is saved into a new storage medium before the storage medium has its day. However, as mentioned above, a great deal of digital cash is stored in the digital cash safe. Accordingly, as a saving work for the digital cash data is performed, the primary work such that digital cash data is transferred to the IC cards of the individuals is left undone.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a digital cash safe capable of performing a saving work for the digital cash data, while lo the primary work is maintained.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides a digital cash safe for storing digital cash data having a function of currency and for performing input and output of the digital cash data in accordance with a request from an exterior, said digital cash safe comprising:
a digital cash module for storing the digital cash data on a free basis in reading and writing;
a detector for detecting a sign of abnormality on said digital cash module; and
a controller for instructing said digital cash module to perform input and output of the digital cash data in accordance with a request from an exterior, and in a case where said detector detects the sign of abnormality on said digital cash module, instructing output of the digital cash data stored in said digital cash module directed to a predetermined save destination while instructing on a priority basis the input and output of the digital cash data according to the request.
According to the digital cash safe of the present invention as mentioned above, the controller instructs output of the digital cash data stored in said digital cash module directed to a predetermined save destination while instructing on a priority basis the input and output of the digital cash data according to the request. This feature makes it possible to perform a save work of digital cash data, while maintaining the input and output of the digital cash data according to the request, which is the primary service.
In the above-mentioned digital cash safe according to the present invention, it is acceptable that when said detector detects the sign of abnormality, said controller instructs output of the digital cash data stored in said digital cash module directed to a save destination set up out of the digital cash safe.
Or alternatively, it is acceptable that a plurality of said digital cash modules exist, and a plurality of said detectors exist, said plurality of detectors being associated with said plurality of digital cash modules, respectively, each of said plurality of detectors detects the sign of abnormality on the associated digital cash module, and
said controller instructs a save of the digital cash data stored in the digital cash module associated with a detector, which detects the sign, of said plurality of detectors to a digital cash module associated with other than the detector, which detects the sign, of said plurality of detectors.
In effect, it is either acceptable that the digital cash data, which is to be saved from the digital cash module on which a sign of abnormality is detected, is saved into a save destination provided within the digital cash safe, or a save destination set up out of the digital cash safe. For example, in the event that earthquake occurs, it is preferable that digital cash data is saved into a save destination set up, out of the digital cash safe, at a place located geographically apart from that place. On the other hand, for example, in the even that one of a plurality of digital cash modules has done its term of operation, it is preferable that the digital cash data is saved into another digital cash module which has not yet done its term of operation so that the service of the digital cash safe is maintained.
In the digital cash safe according to the present invention, it is preferable that said digital cash safe further comprises a first display means for indicating that said detector detects the sign of abnormality.
According to the digital cash safe having the first display means, it is possible for persons in charge of the digital cash safe to predict abnormality of a digital cash module prior to occurrence of the abnormality.
In the digital cash safe according to the present invention, it is preferable that said digital cash safe further comprises a second display means for,indicating that said digital cash module outputs right now the digital cash data directed to the predetermined save destination.
Further, in the digital cash safe according to the present invention, it is also preferable that said digital cash safe further comprises:
a substrate having a connector through which digital cash data is inputted and outputted with respect to said digital cash module, said substrate being detachably connected to said digital cash module via said connector, and
a lock mechanism for inhibiting said digital cash module from being separated from said substrate when said digital cash module outputs right now the digital cash data directed to the predetermined save destination.
According to the digital cash safe having the second display means and/or the lock mechanism, it is possible to prevent digital cash data from being lost by an erroneous operation such that a digital cash module is ejected from the substrate while the digital cash module outputs right now the digital cash data directed to a save destination.